Services | Bowne Management Systems

Constituent Response and Complaint Tracking (311)

Municipalities across the country have been searching for ways to better serve constituents while allocating and conserving resources more effectively.

With “911” systems clogged with general information requests, municipalities are seeking new ways to directly communicate with constituents, assess their needs, respond appropriately, monitor performance, and make operational improvements. An effective “311” type non-emergency Constituent Services Function is often the key to dealing successfully with these issues.

At one time or another nearly every household has occasion to contact local government to:

Report a problem

Lodge a complaint about a specific service

Seek assistance

Seek information

Offer a suggestion

These interactions are an invaluable resource in helping government understand its constituency and its internal operations. Furthermore, such interactions are often the primary basis for constituent perceptions of government efficiency and responsiveness, and thus have considerable political importance.

The Benefits of “311” Constituent Response Systems

A Constituent Response System (CRS) enables the municipality to truly understand the public’s demand for services, while addressing the need for a back-end operation capable of supporting high-quality service delivery. It can provide numerous benefits for the municipality and its constituents, including:

Facilitating public access to government services and fostering neighborhood-oriented government

Improving government responsiveness

Improving the effectiveness and reducing the cost of delivering municipal services.

Reducing call volume and alleviating call congestion

Increasing constituent satisfaction and enhancing the image of the municipality.

Bowne’s Experience and Services

With experience implementing 311-type systems in the Towns of North Hempstead, Brookhaven, and Hempstead, and the City of New Orleans, Bowne Management Systems brings to the municipality a perspective rich in real knowledge of what it takes to be successful. From requirements definition and scoping through selection of technology vendors, training and development of implementation plans, Bowne’s experience base lends invaluable support to the municipality’s effort to succeed with its 311 project.